"Tomorrow is Eid. I meant to bring home the rice from the haor, keep the year's food and sell the rest. But that never happened. All the rice went under water. Now how will I buy new clothes for the children for Eid? I cannot afford it."

Islam Uddin, a farmer of Dekhar Haor in Sunamganj, broke down in tears as he spoke. It is not only him: every farming household in the region is in distress. Of the haor's 10 lakh farmers, the hard-grown rice of more than a lakh has been submerged by rainwater, and it is this rice that feeds them for the whole year.

Heavy rain began in Sunamganj in late March this year, causing waterlogging in many of the district's 137 haors. The district administration, the agriculture department and the Water Development Board tried to clear the water, but continuous heavy rain in mid-April drowned the farmers' rice. Officially 20,000 hectares were damaged, though affected farmers and farmers' organisations say about 40,000 hectares of rice went under water in the district. Farmers pulled some of the rice out of the water, but with no sunshine much of it has sprouted.

According to the district administration, 1,29,559 farmers in Sunamganj were affected by excessive rain and waterlogging this year. The administration has finalised the list of those affected and sent it to the higher authorities, but no one knows when aid will arrive. Farmers say that if they received the government aid before Eid, they might have been able to bring smiles to their children's faces.

Latif Mia, a farmer of Dekhar Haor, told Jagonews: "I grew rice with great hope but gained nothing. All the rice went under rainwater. If I got the government aid now, I could at least keep the children happy at Eid."

Another farmer, Rahmat Ali, said: "We should have been happy with our families after the harvest. Instead, after losing the rice, there is only despair and worry. I cannot sleep at night thinking how we will get through the year."

Abdul Mia, a farmer of Karchar Haor, said: "We toiled from morning to evening, and the crop was good. But it all went under water before we could bring it home."

According to Mufacchir Rahman, a farmer of Shanir Haor: "This should be a time of Eid festivity in the haor. Instead the whole area is silent. The whole year's food has drowned. There is no Eid for us this time."

Omar Faruk, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Sunamganj, said: "Boro rice was grown on 2,23,511 hectares in Sunamganj this year. But waterlogging from rain submerged the rice of many farmers. We have prepared their list and handed it to the district administration."

Additional Deputy Commissioner Md Motiur Rahman Khan said the list of affected farmers had been prepared and sent to all the relevant higher authorities. "Those who cultivated land have been included in the list of affected farmers. But I cannot confirm when they will receive assistance," he told Jagonews.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.